5 Best Museums Austin

Why it made the list: Austin's premier art museum, on the UT campus, a deep collection spanning European, modern, contemporary and Latin American art, and, crucially, 'Austin,' the luminous stone chapel that was Ellsworth Kelly's final work. The Kelly building alone is worth the visit, and the recently redone grounds are stunning.

Why it made the list: The definitive 'story of Texas' museum, near the Capitol, three floors tracing Texas history from Indigenous peoples through the Republic, oil, space and today, plus an IMAX and rotating exhibitions. It's engaging, well-designed, and the best crash course in what makes Texas, Texas.

Why it made the list: A world-renowned literary and cultural archive on the UT campus, and it's free. Its galleries display treasures like a Gutenberg Bible and the world's first photograph, alongside rotating exhibitions drawn from the manuscripts, film and photography collections. A quiet, extraordinary stop most visitors never make.

Why it made the list: Austin's contemporary art museum spans two lovely sites, the downtown Jones Center gallery, and Laguna Gloria, a 1916 Italianate villa on Lake Austin with a sculpture park set among the oaks and along the water. The lakeside sculpture grounds are the draw, blending art, architecture and nature.

Why it made the list: The presidential library of Lyndon B. Johnson, on the UT campus, a compelling look at the 1960s through the lens of his presidency, with a replica Oval Office, the civil-rights era, and an animatronic LBJ telling jokes. It's a surprisingly rich, well-curated slice of American history.